Full-Time Lurker

Little show, big adventures.  Here is to the Critical Role finale, or at least the beginning of the end.

Thanks Vox Machina.

when marisha gestures too widely/wildly and almost smacks taliesin in the face with her hand or elbow

taliesin aiming with an imaginary gun while matt describes his shot, mimicking the recoil when matt makes the sound effect

sam’s face. just. sam’s face at any given time

liam’s cheesy endorsements of wormwood gaming/sam’s “check out our t-shirts at geekandsundry.com, that’s geekandsundry.com” whenever whispering is happening

the reactions when someone rolls a natural 20 or a natural 1

yelling so loud they almost overload the fuckin mic when Hype Shit happens

“you can certainly try”

(someone tells matt their roll) “with that,” 

someone suggesting something weird or unusual and matt going “go ahead and make a…” and pausing as he tries to figure out what kind of fuckin check this will be

laura going “oh jeeze louise” or cursing loudly, there’s no in between 

Very Serious In-Character Planning that almost always goes right out the window the moment the actual fighting starts

taliesin breaking character, specifically taliesin, because it’s always magnificent when he does (especially when it’s supposed to be a serious moment) 

but also matt breaking character to giggle

the rare moments where matt actually has to dig through his notes for something and they all comment on it

“he’s getting the book, look, he’s getting the book!” 

“why is he rolling”

“that’s a lot of dice”

when matt starts to go “go ahead and make a-” just to fuck with them 

when Laura cries for Trinket

nomercypercy moments

MATT’S FACES

Travis and Ashley being super cute buddies

The crew cracking up at the shit that happens, laughing so loud the microphones pick it up, making the cast laugh even more

Marisha’s cute descriptions of her actions the leads to her using sound effects to try to reinforce her point

Travis’s “LOOTCRAAAATEEEE” 

Sam Riegel’s SHIRTS 

The cast’s silence when Matt rolls and responds with a monotone and expressionless “okay”

Laura and Travis’s creative curses (my personal favorite is SHIT MOTHER BITCH)

ALL OF ASHLEY JOHNSON AND HER SHINING PRESENCE 

The way Sam says: “Bigby’s HAAAAAAANNNDDDD” accompanied by the hand gestures

The collective “GILMORE!!” everyone exclaims when Shaun appears 

Matt’s fuckin dragon stances where he puts his hands on his DM shield like a dragon on its haunches and looms over the table

Also the way Matt lazily slouches back in his chair and lifts his hand for his Gilmore stance (bonus: his Gilmore laugh)

Ashley’s “okay okay okay” as she gets her thoughts together, usually while rummaging through the Player’s Handbook or her binder when they’re in combat

Taliesin’s “I’m going to-uh…. I’m-um…. yes, yes I’ll do that okay. I’m going to” as he gathers together just how he wants to decimate an enemy

Liam’s worried/concerned puppy dog look where his eyebrows get all scrunched up when he has a serious chat with Laura or Marisha

Liam O’Brien’s Henley, beanie, glasses, and arm cuff

The way Travis says “My buddy, Pike.”

The Pearl Thief (Code Name Verity 0) by Elizabeth Wein 

Published by Bloomsbury/Disney in May 2017

Genres: Detectives, Period drama, Nobility, social classes, LGBT, YA 

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository | Foyles | Waterstones | Barnes and Noble

 Blurb:  Sixteen-year-old Julie Beaufort-Stuart is returning to her family’s ancestral home in Perthshire for one last summer. It is not an idyllic return to childhood. Her grandfather’s death has forced the sale of the house and estate and this will be a summer of goodbyes. Not least to the McEwen family – Highland travellers who have been part of the landscape for as long as anyone can remember – loved by the family, loathed by the authorities. Tensions are already high when a respected London archivist goes missing, presumed murdered. Suspicion quickly falls on the McEwens but Julie knows not one of them would do such a thing and is determined to prove everyone wrong. And then she notices the family’s treasure trove of pearls is missing.

Review:  Oh GOSH, I think this might be my favourite book of the year. Calling it in June, I know, I know. I’m a huge fan of thirties detective novels like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers, and this is my perfect spin on that - there’s murder, rich people living frivolously, dogs, Bronze age marine archaeology, bisexual characters exploring both sides of their sexuality, castles, cross-dressing Cabaret shows, TREASURE-HUNTING, pearls, buried treasure (did I mention the treasure?), river trawling and Harriet Vane mentions. I’m so into it in every way. Ellen and Frank are brilliant love interests, and Lady Julia Lindsay MacKenzie Wallace Beaufort-Stewart must be the most iconic female character in YA history. She’s smart and sassy and always says the unexpected, she goes off to fight in World War II in Code Name Verity as a spy, she kisses whoever she pleases, and as Ellen put it, takes whatever she wants. She had a really brilliant character arc in this book - you really see her blossom from an unsure fifteen year old into the person she’s going to become in Code Name Verity. Reading this has made my heart ache all the more for her and what happens in the next book, and I’m very afraid that I’ll never be able to read CNV again for fear of my heart quite literally exploding in sadness. Video review posted at https://youtu.be/CFZNwCj4jEA

Having a cast member go up to your section of the seats to explain that you’re not quite seeing a normal show so keep your legs close

Natasha seeing Andrey off to the war at the very beginning, before the prologue, looking really heartbroken to see him leave

Andrey leaving through The Door™

Marya dissing the whole audience as ‘gossips and crybabies’

Mary making a random audience guy climb onstage to present to her father as a suitor

Snow falling over Andrey reading a letter as Natasha sings during No One Else

Gelsey Bell doing the opera screeching and wailing

Everyone being on stage most of the time, watching what’s going on and reacting

Everyone taking the events of the opera really seriously and then Andrey pops back onstage while ensemble members pull drapes of blood out of him

The chemistry between Anatole and Natasha

The strobe lights during the club that make you feel like you’re inside a stop motion

The costumes becoming bdsm gear and neon for everyone but Anatole, Helene, Pierre and Dolokhov (yes that means Grace McLean in spandex leather doing inappropriate gestures with a whip)

Having an ensemble member scream at you to read war and peace over blaring music

Pierre forcibly inducing your midlife crisis during Dust and Ashes but it’s okay because he’s having one too

Natasha just standing on stage in her underwear for most of Charming

The consequent onstage costume change

Having a cast member casually walk by at some point and wondering how this show even exists

Natasha and Anatole sealing their fate by dramatically walking through The Door™ hand in hand as dramatic strings play 

Anatole sitting down and shutting the whole thing down just so he can flirt with someone in the audience for an obnoxious amount of time

The Door™ opening with angry red lights to reveal Marya as she screams ‘you will not enter mY HOUse scoundrelll”

Natasha pacing all over the stage during Pierre and Anatole and preparing the poison/drinking it then freaking out about what she’s done while the men argue (and then Sonya helping her off the stage)

Natasha Very Ill to The Great Comet of 1812 cleansing your soul and putting the whole theatre at peace

Feeling like you’re somehow walking in the snow on some russian road with Pierre during the finale

All of the characters standing up and gazing at the comet like they all believe it holds the key to their redemption and new beginnings

Happy Pride!